Energy for Sustainable Development

Sep 17, 2013

From Left to Right: Nikolay Pomoshchnikov, the Head of the Sub-regional Office for North and Central Asia, Andrey Vasilyev, the Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECE, Kakhaber Kaladze, the Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Energy, Dimitri Kumsishvili,the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Inita Paulovica, the Acting Resident Representative of UNDP. Photos: David Khizanishvili/UNDP

TBILISI. 16 September 2013. The Fourth International Forum "Energy for Sustainable Development" kicked off today, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Over 200 delegates from more than 25 countries are participating in this international event.

Kakhaber Kaladze, the Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Energy, Dimitri Kumsishvili, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Andrey Vasilyev, the Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECE, Nikolay Pomoshchnikov, the Head of the Sub-regional Office for North and Central Asia, ESCAP, and Inita Paulovica, the Acting Resident Representative of UNDP in Georgia addressed the participants of the Forum.

The forum is a follow-up to the International Sustainable Energy Forums held in 2010-2012 in Central Asian countries. It supports objectives of the UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.

The Forum is designed for policy makers and experts in the field of energy efficiency and sustainable use of energy, as well as in the fields of economic and social development, environmental protection, governance, financing, and energy and utility infrastructure development.

The Forum explores policies and legislation needed to support energy efficiency improvements, access to cleaner energy, financing energy efficiency, and energy efficiency in buildings and infrastructure. Forum participants discussed the necessary conditions for enabling and encouraging investments in energy efficiency and sustainable use of energy, as well as experiences and good practices from Europe, Asia and other regions of the world.